College essays that made a difference - Princeton Review 2010
Jamie Manos
The applicants
Jamie was a very active, well-rounded student in high school. She played soccer and ran track for four years and actively pursued her passion for music by performing in a number of ensembles, which earned her national recognition and allowed her to travel cross-country.
Stats
SAT: 1280
SAT Subject Test(s): 680 Math Level 1, 660 Biology
High School GPA: 95.7 (out of 100)
High School: Old Town High School, Old Town, ME
Hometown: Old Town, ME
Gender: Female
Race: Caucasian
Applied To
Cornell University (early decision)
Essay
Write about three objects that will give the admissions office insight to who you are.
The Jigsaw
Jigsaw puzzles are challenges that test one’s ingenuity. They are composed of a number of pieces, each piece separated from and unique to the others. It is the job of the puzzle solver to examine the many pieces of the puzzle and find correlation between them, using these relationships to mold the seemingly unrelated mass into a finite object, a beautiful picture. I have always enjoyed assuming the role of a puzzle solver. Even as early as the age of three, I would spend my spare moments piecing together puzzles, always eager to see the diverse, colorful masterpieces they formed. As I grew older, I was able to apply my puzzle solving skills to life and began to view the world I lived in as a collage of puzzles. It became apparent to me that the people in this world are each a separate puzzle in the collage of life; they look similar when viewed from afar, but upon close examination it is apparent that each puzzle is unique; each is composed of separate sets of experiences and personality traits. I, too, am a puzzle in life’s collage. My experiences have molded me into who I am. The many facets of my life and personality can be portrayed by the three types of pieces that compose a jigsaw puzzle: the rounded, filling pieces, the corner pieces, and the edge pieces.
The edge portions of a jigsaw puzzle are generally the first pieces that the puzzle solver tries to work. Once the solver has connected the edges, he has a strong foundation from which to build. This foundation leads the puzzle solver to the puzzle’s solution as I lead others. The foundation of a puzzle is rigid, strong, and unwaveringly straight in much the same way as I am disciplined, strong, and honest. These qualities allow us both to be effective in leading others to success.
Success is not always easy to come by, however. The foundation of a puzzle would not be complete without one very important type of piece, the corner piece. The corner piece, which is not always easy to find, is a key piece to the jigsaw. It shapes the puzzle, bends a straight line. Like the jigsaw puzzle I have been shaped by many turning points. One corner piece of my life occurred during my sixth grade year when my band director saw much talent in a very young flautist. He recognized my alacrity in learning and started me out on the trombone, the basics of which I had mastered in a few weeks. Within a month I had been placed in the top jazz band and was introduced to the art of jazz, a form which has offered me a variety of opportunities and experiences.
The most important source of variety in the jigsaw is provided by the middle, filling pieces. Each piece is different in size, shape, and color, but fits together with all of the others to fill the framework, to portray an image with essence, to solve the mystery of the unfinished puzzle. My mind is like a collection of fillers; it is able to analyze situations and provide solutions from a variety of different angles, depending on which pieces are put together. It is only by viewing the problem from all angles simultaneously that I am able to generate the final picture, portray the puzzle in its entirety.
Solving the jigsaw is not an easy task. It takes much hard work and dedication on the solver’s behalf, even when he is getting to know himself, deciphering his own puzzle. I, as the middle piece, the corner piece, and the edge piece, provide many representative components of my whole puzzle. The many facets of my personality and my life experiences converge to make the puzzle that is me. However, mine is a puzzle that is not yet complete. As I grow and undergo new experiences, I discover new facets to my personality. My life is a unique, unfinished puzzle to which all of the pieces have yet to be found.
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